The Indian state-owned aerospace company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and its Russian counterpart United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) signed a significant Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Moscow, for the joint production of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 regional jet (now marketed as the Yakovlev SJ-100) in India. This agreement not only marks India's return to full-scale passenger aircraft production after decades but is also being interpreted in the Indian media as a strategic and potentially political signal in a complex global environment.
The alliance aims to meet the strong demand in Indian domestic air travel, particularly within the framework of the Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik The Indian government's (UDAN) program aims to promote regional air travel through subsidies and the expansion of regional airports. Experts estimate India's need for regional jets of this class over the next ten years at more than 200 aircraft, with an additional potential market in the wider region.
While HAL has the opportunity to assemble the twin-engine narrow-body aircraft in India and ultimately manufacture it locally, the partnership faces significant industrial and geopolitical challenges. UAC, the Russian partner, is subject to sanctions by the United States and the European Union, raising questions about the supply chain, technology, and overall viability of the project.
A civilian innovation with a military history
For HAL, cooperation with Russia in the aviation industry is nothing new. Historically, however, this partnership has focused exclusively on military programs. India has already successfully license-built Russian (or formerly Soviet) fighter jets such as the MiG-21, MiG-27, and the highly advanced Su-30MKI through HAL. The current Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Superjet 100, however, represents the first attempt to extend this traditionally military-oriented cooperation to civilian aircraft manufacturing.
The last complete production of a passenger aircraft in India was the licensed production of the British Avro (later Hawker Siddeley) HS-748, of which a total of 89 units were manufactured from 1961 onwards. Since the end of this program in 1988, the Indian civil aviation fleet has relied on imports from major manufacturers. The new partnership with UAC, in line with India's technological and industrial self-sufficiency initiative (Aatmanirbhar Bharat) and the Make in IndiaThe program is in place to reduce this dependency and usher in a new era of civil aviation manufacturing in India.
In parallel, India is further expanding its domestic manufacturing capacities: A new plant for the assembly of the Airbus C295 multi-purpose transport aircraft is being built in Gujarat, the first unit of which is expected to be completed in India in 2026.
The engine dilemma: A sanction-related challenge
One of the biggest uncertainties surrounding the Superjet project in India concerns the engine issue. The original version of the Superjet 100 was equipped with the PowerJet SaM146 engine, which was the result of a collaboration between the Russian NPO Saturn and the French company Snecma (now Safran Aircraft Engines). Due to the extensive sanctions imposed on Russia following the military conflict in Ukraine, Safran withdrew from maintenance and component supply for the SaM146.
Consequently, Russia aims to completely eliminate Western components from the aircraft by switching to the domestically developed Aviadvigatel PD-8 engine. This engine is undergoing intensive testing, with Russia achieving significant milestones in March and September 2025 with the first flights of Superjet SJ-100 prototypes powered by the new PD-8 engines. However, certification of the PD-8 is not yet complete.
Without a clear plan for licensed production or the procurement of the new PD-8 engine, which is also subject to sanctions, experts see the Superjet project in India as fraught with structural uncertainty. The need to establish its own supply chain for an engine still undergoing certification presents HAL with complex technological and logistical challenges.
The Superjet's bumpy flight path and geopolitical implications
The Superjet 100 has faced significant difficulties in the international market since its introduction in 2011. Although the aircraft initially found customers in countries such as Armenia, Mexico, and Ireland, many of these operators ceased operations due to chronic supply chain problems, frequent technical defects, and insufficient technical support from the manufacturer. Currently, according to ch-aviation Only 137 Superjets are in commercial scheduled service, all exclusively with Russian airlines. Six further VIP versions are in operation, including four with non-Russian operators such as the Royal Thai Air Force.
India's decision to announce the Superjet program in this context, and immediately after the imposition of new US tariffs on Indian imports due to continued oil imports from Russia, is interpreted by many observers as a political sign of India's determination to preserve its strategic autonomy. The MoU could be seen as an attempt by both countries to demonstrate the permanence of their Parallel procurement – in particular, to test defence equipment under the circumvention of sanctions through mechanisms such as rupee-ruble payments – in a civilian setting where the political costs are lower.
The initiative to advance the Superjet project in India aims not only to strengthen regional air traffic under the UDAN program, but also to develop the domestic aviation industry and the private supply chain. However, the successful implementation of the project requires overcoming the technical and logistical hurdles that have hampered the Superjet program internationally for years, in addition to the complications arising from the comprehensive sanctions against the Russian partner. The partnership is therefore a high-risk, but potentially transformative undertaking that extends far beyond mere aircraft assembly.
Aviation Direct
